Teaching Our Way Out of This

I chose to begin 2021 reading Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks. I chose to read it as a book of formation, slowly and meaningfully engaging the words and ideas. January 6th happened. A violent attack on the Capitol left 5 dead, and millions uncertain of the status of democracy in United States. Hooks’ words fresh in my mind and after several conversations with educators the question of can we teach our way out of this became the muse for my daily reflections.

My conclusion after several days of reflecting is that I am not sure. What I am sure of is my conclusion is irrelevant. Far too many people have come before me, and they exchanged the questions they had for statements. Can we teach our way out this is not a question worth asking because we must try. Historic lives, present lives, and future lives demand that we try. Our attempt must begin with the words of Martin Luther King, “The stability of the large world house which is ours will involve a revolution of values to accompany the scientific and freedom revolutions engulfing the earth. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing oriented society to a person oriented society.” Racism, materialism, and militarism will be the product of educational institutions until we, educators and education enthusiasts, renew our thoughts about schools. To teach our way out of this is to critically self-reflect, understand that joy and love of freedom are not always synonymous with harmony, and infuse values into every lesson and interaction that challenges the thing oriented thinking that is taking lives and compromising freedom.